Sunday, August 16, 2009

SECOND ANNUAL THINKCURE! "RADIOTELEWEBETHON" BEGINS NEXT FRIDAY

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced that the second annual ThinkCure! Radiotelewebethon will take place from Aug. 21-22 on KABC 790 AM, PRIME TICKET, KCAL 9, 95.5 KLOS FM, and www.thinkcure.org to promote awareness and raise funds for cancer research. Fans can make donations to the Dodgers’ official charity online at thinkcure.org, by calling (866) 554-CURE.

Last season, the inaugural radio telethon raised more than $165,000 for ThinkCure!, an innovative, community-based non-profit that accelerates collaborative research to cure cancers.

“ThinkCure! is dedicated to making a difference in the fight against cancer and last year, we started to show what was possible with an annual event like this,” said ThinkCure! President Janet Clayton. “We’ll offer ways in every medium – radio, television and online – for the community to come together and participate in our common fight against cancer. We’ll also have special opportunities for fans who attend those two games on August 21 and 22. It’s all about doing good while have fun doing it. We know that this event will just get bigger and better every year.”

Last month, ThinkCure! awarded $600,000 in grants for research at City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. The one-year grants support research in the development of new therapies to treat brain tumors, gene therapy for lymphoma, and a vaccine for leukemia. The grants were the first research-specific grants awarded by ThinkCure!.

For the 2009 Radiotelewebethon, a new element has been added, as thinkcure.org will stream the names of contributors and amounts raised in real time, along with other video content, beginning on Aug. 21 at 5 a.m.

For the second consecutive year, fans will be able to bid online at www.dodgers.com for autographed memorabilia and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will help raise money for ThinkCure!. The online auction begins on Monday, Aug. 17 and will run through Monday, Aug. 24.

Once again, the Think Blue sign that can be seen in the hills beyond left field and has become one of the signature identification points of Dodger Stadium will be changed to read “ThinkCure” in honor of the Radiotelewebethon and the official ThinkCure! logo will be painted onto the field in foul territory at Dodger Stadium.

Last season, one of the more memorable moments of the year came during the pregame ceremonies on Aug. 16 when nine children and 25 doctors from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and City of Hope were honored on the field. The team of doctors came in through the center field gates and walked to the pitcher’s mound, where they threw ceremonial first pitches to the entire Dodger team.

ThinkCure! was launched in July 2007 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the McCourt family, City of Hope, and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.